Car roof



A. R. WILSON CAR ROOF Oct. 18,' 1932.

,W rid/4 i123 Filed Feb. 3, 1950 ATTORNEY;

Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALFRED R. WILSON, 013 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO HUTCHINS CAB ROOFING COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE CAR ROOF Application filed February 3, 1930. Serial No. 425,577.

The invention relates to car roofs of the flexible or metallic type and consists in the novel construction as hereinafter set forth. In the present state of the art roofs of the above type are provided with a skeleton roof frame oomposecl of carlines and purlines including a ridge purline or ridge pole upon which the roofing sheets are laid. These sheets are independently movable upon the frame and are clamped down thereon and weather-proofed by ridge caps and transverse seam caps. With certain carline constructions instead of following the slope of the roof from eaves to ridge they are sloped only part way and then extend horizontally across the central portion of the car. The ridge pole is then arranged above this horizontal portion of the carlines and serves as a support for the upper or ridge ends of the sheets.

For certain uses freight cars are provided with a hoist anchorage to assist in loading and unloading. This is usually in the form of a beam extending longitudinally of the car and deriving its support from the carlines to which it is attached. Usually this beam is arranged beneath the carlines in order to provide clearance between the same and the roof or ridge pole so that a rope or chain may be passed. thereover. Thus with cars of this type which are also provided with flexible all-steel roofs, it is necessary to have both the ridge pole for supporting the sheets and the beam for supporting the load. It is the object of the present invention to simplify the construction by dispensing with the separate ridge pole and beam and utilizing one member to perform both functions. This member is a beam which is arranged above the carlines and extends longitudinally of the car from end to end in the place of the usual ridge pole. The .beam is, however, of suflicient strength to constitute a hoist anchorage and provision is made for attachment of the hoist thereto at various points throughout the length of the beam. One specific embodiment of my invention 1s illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a cross section through a portion of the roof showing the arrangement of my combined ridge pole and hoisting beam;

Figure2 is a longitudinal section showing the combined ridge pole and hoisting beam in side elevation;

Figure 3 is a view similar to a portion of Figure 1 showing a modified construction.

As illustrated in Figure 1, A are the side plates of the car frame shown as Z-bars, B. are the carlines secured to the members A by brackets O and being of a usual form of inverted channel cross section with outwardlyextending side flanges. These carlines are'also of the type having a central horizontal portion with end portions which follow approximately the slope'of the roof. D is my combined ridge pole and hoist beam which also ispreferably of inverted channel cross section having. outwardly extending base flanges. This member is arranged above the horizontal portion of the carlines B to each of which it is attached preferably by rivets E passing through the overlapping flanges. Intermediate the ridge and side plates are purlines F which serve as supports for the intermediate portions of the roofingsheets .G. These sheets must, how ever, be further supported at the eaves and at the ridge and where as shown the side plates are metallic Z-bars a wooden facie H is attached to the upstanding flange of said bar and forms the sheet support. At the ridge the sheet is supported upon the beamD but preferably wooden strips I are placed upon opposite sides of the channel andsupported upon the outstanding flanges D to form a non-metallic bearing contact with the sheet. These strips I may be'secured by bolts J passing through the neutral axis of the channel portions of the beam and clamping the strips thereto.

With the construction as thus far described, there would be no convenient Way of obtaining a hoist anchorage from the beam D, as no clearance is provided, above this beam for the passage of a rope or chain. This 'difiiculty I have overcome by providing cross, bars or stirrups K which are distributed at different; points along the beam and are riveted or. otherwise secured to the flanges D as indicated at L. Thus the hoisting apparatus may be engaged with the beam by hooking over the bar or stirrup K, or if desired a rope or chain may be directly passed over this bar.

In the modified construction shown in Figure 3 instead of supporting the roofing sheets upon the Wooden strips or channels I they rest directly upon the top of the beam D.

What I claim as my inventiofli'si 1. In a car roof of the flexible type including relatively movable roofing sheets, a roof frame comprising a series of carlirie's and a beam extending uninterrupted-1y longitudinally of the car at the ridge above said series of carlines and secured thereto, said beam constituting the support for the upper ends of said relatively movable sheets and a hoist anchorage. v

2. In a car roof of the flexible type including relatively movable roofing sheets, a roof frame comprisinga series of carlines having portions parallel to the slope of the roof and a horizontally extending central portion, a structural beam extending unin terruptedly longitudinally of the car at the ridge above. said series of carlines and attached thereto, said beam constituting the support for the upper ends of said relatively movable sheets and also a hoist anchorage.

3. In a car roof of the flexible type including relatively movable roofing sheets, a roof frame comprising a series of ca'rlines, a structural beam extending longitudinally of the car at the ridge above said carlines and secured thereto, said beam being of 'an inverted channel cross section'havin'g outwardly extending base flanges and constituting a support for the relatively movable sheets and a hoist anchorage, and wooden filler strip's secured to said beam and resting on said 'flanges forming the bearing surfaces on which said sheets rest. l

1-. In a car 'ro'of, a roof frame comprising a series of "carlines, a structural beam of inverted channel cross sectionhaving 'outw'andly extending base flanges, said beam extenda in g uninterruptedly longitudinally of the car at-the ridge abovesaid series of carline's and secured thereto, and one or more straps eX- tending across the channel of said beam and secured to the flanges thereof being locatedintermediate said carlines and constituting a hoist anchorage, said beam also formlng the ridge pole for supporting the roofing sheets. 4 V '5. In a car roof comprising a'serie's of c'a-rlineseac'h having portions parallel to the slope of the roof and central horizontal pordons, a structural beam of inverted channel cross section having outwardly extending base flanges, said beam extending longitudinally of the car at ridge and having its ALFRED R. WILSON.

flanges s'ecured'to said "carline s, wooden filler stripssec'ured to said- 'bea'm above sa'id"flanges 

